Figure 3.

Force–temperature screening of high-resolution t-SPL lines. (a) Topography image of arrays of 14 nm half-pitch lines patterned by t-SPL. Each array consists of five individual lines and is patterned under different force and temperature conditions. The temperatures range from 525 to 800 °C and the forces from 0 to 30 nN. (b) Average cross sections for T_H = 525 °C (blue), 625 °C (black), and 775 °C (red) of consecutive patterned lines indicated by the dotted boxes in (a). The maximum elevation between the lines is h and the pattern depth d. The tip is sketched at scale for comparison. (c) Line depth d (circles) and rim height h (squares) as a function of the applied force for the three temperatures mentioned in (b). (d) Average h and d for the two highest forces as a function of heater temperature T_H. For successful pattern transfer and sufficient protection of the unpatterned surface, a minimum rim height of 0.5 nm and a minimum depth of 3 nm are required, respectively. The best pattern transfer performance is expected for a temperature of 625 °C.